A city becomes a playground for art

Kunsthalle Gwangju, which opened on Tuesday in the Dong District in Gwangju, is a unique three-story building made up of 29 container boxes and will be used for art exhibitions. [YONHAP]

GWANGJU - During the Gwangju Biennale, the entire city becomes a playground for art lovers.

There is still time to catch the major art market known as Art Gwangju 2010, which ends tomorrow at the Kimdaejung Convention Center in the Seo District, about 30 minutes from Biennale Hall by car.

Works by 300 artists will be exhibited in booths sponsored by 50 galleries including Gana Art and Park Ryu Sook Gallery from Seoul, Nine Gallery from Gwangju, Lisson Gallery of London and Tang Contemporary Art of Beijing.

Meanwhile, a show called “Emerging Asian Artists” features, as the title suggests, works by artists in the early stages of their careers.

The “Platform Project” show, which organizers describe as a venue for an examination of art and design, and of East and West, features works by well-known contemporary artists including Korean video artist Paik Nam-june, Italian painter and object artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, Indian interactive video artist Shilpa Gupta and British Iraqi deconstructivist architect Zaha Hadid.

Aside from Art Gwangju, the city’s other major event is Kunsthalle Gwangju, which opened Tuesday in the square in front of the former South Jeolla Provincial Government building in the Dong District, about 25 minutes by car from Kimdaejung Center,

The unique three-story building, made from 29 container boxes, will operate until 2014, when it is replaced by the Asian Culture Complex. Its main function will be to showcase programs for the new space.

“With diverse events in cooperation with young creatives from Korea and abroad, and exhibitions beyond the typical concept of galleries and museums, Kunsthalle Gwangju offers a new way of experiencing culture: active involvement - not passive art consumption,” Kunsthalle Gwangju said on its Web site.

Its opening exhibition is by Swiss art group etoy.CORPORATION, known for its legal battle with the online toy seller eToys in 2000. It features installations, interactive digital art and performances.

Art Gwangju ends tomorrow. Admission is 10,000 won for adults. It is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.artgwangju.com or call (062) 611-3005~6.

Kunsthalle Gwangju is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays. Admission is free. For details, visit www.kunsthalle-gwangju.com.

By Moon So-young [symoon@joongang.co.kr]